Jobs resisted his doctors' recommendations for evidence-based medical intervention for nine months, instead consuming a special alternative medicine diet to thwart the disease

Yet to the horror of the tiny circle of intimates in whom he'd confided, Jobs was considering not having the surgery at all. A Buddhist and vegetarian, the Apple (AAPL, Fortune 500) CEO was skeptical of mainstream medicine. Jobs decided to employ alternative methods to treat his pancreatic cancer, hoping to avoid the operation through a special diet - a course of action that hasn't been disclosed until now. For nine months Jobs pursued this approach, as Apple's board of directors and executive team secretly agonized over the situation